44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 8, 2022 10:00AM
- Dec/8/22 2:55:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister made very clear today, and the Minister of Public Safety and I yesterday, we also share these concerns around this contract that the RCMP had with Sinclair Technologies. The member will have heard that contract has been suspended.
As the central purchasing agent for the Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement will look very closely at this. I have instructed my officials to examine this issue. We are going to look at our procedures and our processes with the greatest intensity to ensure our security of our infrastructure.
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- Dec/8/22 2:55:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Public Safety repeatedly claimed that vigorous security processes were in place, except that is not true. Government officials are on record saying that security issues were not considered when this contract was awarded, a contract that affects our national security directly.
When will the Liberals finally accept responsibility for this complete failure on their part to protect our national security?
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- Dec/8/22 2:56:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is nothing more important than safeguarding our democracy. The RCMP has confirmed that the contract with Sinclair Technologies has been suspended and that it is conducting further reviews to ensure the integrity of our infrastructure is in place.
Given the current geopolitical dynamics, we are taking all actions to combat foreign interference.
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- Dec/8/22 2:56:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is something. The Liberal government gave access to the RCMP's secured communications system to a company held by Beijing while the RCMP confirmed that it was investigating Beijing's interference into our election. There was no security check nor any questions about the company that the RCMP is going to entrust its secret codes to for its internal communications. Our American neighbours have known about this for a long time and that company was on their blacklist.
Instead of taking responsibility, as usual the Prime Minister is blaming others. Why is the Prime Minister always so slow and so spineless every time he needs to stand up to Beijing?
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- Dec/8/22 2:57:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our priority was and remains protecting the integrity of Canada's contracting system.
As soon as threats are identified, we take action.
I gave our officials instructions to review the process in place for contracts and to target areas that can be improved.
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- Dec/8/22 2:58:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have a serious problem in Canada.
Judging by the Liberals' answers, the media is the Prime Minister's primary source of information on Beijing's interference.
Whether it is a network of candidates funded by China or a company held by the Chinese communist regime getting a contract to protect the RCMP's communications, every time the Prime Minister denies having been informed by his intelligence experts.
Either the Prime Minister has his eyes closed or he does not want to know; or he knows, but is voluntarily hiding the information.
Which answer are we going to get today?
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- Dec/8/22 2:58:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question.
I think we all agree, as parliamentarians and as Canadians, that this contract should never have been signed. We all agree that national security is everyone's responsibility.
We on this side of the House have always taken steps to deal with foreign interference. My hon. colleague will recall that just a few months ago we blocked three transactions, precisely to protect critical minerals in this country.
When it comes to national security, we will always be there to defend the interests of Canadians.
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- Dec/8/22 2:59:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Quebec's National Assembly passed a unanimous motion on academic freedom:
THAT [the National Assembly] reiterate that promoting greater representation of under-represented target groups must always happen in a context of equal qualifications;
THAT it denounce the interference of the federal government, which funds research chair programs according to certain criteria that do not reflect the specificity of Quebec.
Instead of imposing its ideological agenda, why will Ottawa not let Quebec manage research chairs?
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- Dec/8/22 2:59:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for that important question.
As he knows, Canada's research councils are independent from government. Canadians and Quebeckers tuning in today should know that our government has invested more in science than any other government, nearly $16 billion since coming to power.
I think that is the right thing to do because we all agree that the best decisions are the ones based on facts and science.
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- Dec/8/22 3:00:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is not about money, it is about criteria.
The research chair funding criteria no longer have anything to do with research. The nature of the research itself no longer counts. What counts is the nature of the researcher, assessed against the following criteria: skin colour, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation and disability. The last person anyone wants as a researcher is an average white man.
We agree that all kinds of people should be better represented. Among equally qualified applicants, under-represented minorities should get priority.
How is excluding a group of people consistent with a policy of inclusion?
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- Dec/8/22 3:01:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
We all agree on inclusion and diversity. That is certainly the directive that the research councils have been given. As my hon. colleague well knows, the criteria are determined by the research councils.
What we are doing as the government is investing in science and in research chairs.
I am sure that, as members of the House, we all want to foster diversity and inclusion through science and society in general.
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- Dec/8/22 3:01:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has again exposed the incompetence of the government, saying $32 billion were wasted paying COVID cash to prisoners, the deceased, people living overseas and non-eligible corporations. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has found more waste—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Dec/8/22 3:02:04 p.m.
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I am hearing a lot of rumbling and people talking to each other.
I will ask the hon. member for Edmonton West to start over.
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- Dec/8/22 3:02:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has again exposed the incompetence of the government, saying $32 billion were wasted paying COVID cash to low-income prisoners, low-income deceased, people living overseas and non-eligible corporations. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has found $4 billion more wasted, with people being sent money who will actually earn more income than the program will allow them to qualify.
Will the Liberal government end its wasteful inflationary spending so Canadians can afford to put food on their tables and heat their houses?
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- Dec/8/22 3:02:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the entire House approved an approach to the COVID benefits that was quick, that got money into the hands of Canadians quickly, that was based on attestation and that ensured there would be post-payment verification. We are going through that process now in a responsible and compassionate way. As the work is ongoing, I can assure the House that we will ensure we follow up with everything.
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- Dec/8/22 3:03:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister spent so much money that he actually ran out of people to borrow it from, so he had the Bank of Canada create a complex scheme to pour billions of dollars into the accounts of wealthy financial institutions. As the bank raises interest rates to fight the inflation the government caused, the Bank of Canada is actually losing money.
For the first time in Canadian history, as the bank loses money, how much taxpayer money will have to go to bail out the Bank of Canada?
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- Dec/8/22 3:04:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have heard us explain why it was important that we were there for Canadians. If we had to do it again, we would, because Canadians needed us and we were there in their time of need.
What I do not understand is that in an hour's time, we will be voting on Bill C-32 and the Conservatives have consistently voted against the bill. The bill contains an important measure that will further lower the small business tax rate for our entrepreneurs in the country.
If the Conservatives wish to be consistent about their position, why are they voting against a tax cut for small businesses?
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- Dec/8/22 3:04:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what the parliamentary secretary is not telling us is that 40% of all that new spending had nothing to do with the pandemic. The Auditor General has now told us that over $30 billion was wasted. That is what is causing inflation.
The government's answer is to pour more inflationary gasoline on the raging fire. It is already taking a big bite out of Canadian households. As interest rates rise to fight inflation, Canadians have to pay more in interest payments to the banks, but so too does the Bank of Canada. The Bank of Canada has one shareholder, the Minister of Finance.
How much money will taxpayers be on the hook for to pay off the Bank of Canada's losses?
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- Dec/8/22 3:05:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives bothered to look at the facts, they would see that we have the lowest deficit and the lowest debt among G7 countries. They would also see that the international community and investors have extraordinary confidence in the Canadian economy. Thanks to the decisions that our government has made, we still have a AAA credit rating.
I would also note that were it not for the important supports we put in place during the pandemic, our economy would not have rebounded as quickly and as strongly as it did. It is among the strongest in the world.
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- Dec/8/22 3:06:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Haiti remains a major concern. Canada has clearly expressed its support for Haiti and its intention to help Haitians in their quest for peace and democracy.
The Haitian crisis will require Haitian solutions. It also requires the support of the international community and regional partners. What measures have been taken under the leadership of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to ensure that other countries follow Canada's example and that our partners commit to supporting the Haitian solution?
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